Method of making tamperproof package

ABSTRACT

A tamperproof and easy-open package of polymeric plastic materials is disclosed wherein a base sheet is provided with specially designed receptacles integral therewith and defined by corrugated side walls with a sharp top edge and a bottom wall. A top sheet overlies the open end of the receptacle and is welded to a peripheral flange portion of the base sheet with the welds circumscribing the receptacles. When downward pressure is applied on the top of the receptacle, the bottom wall is pushed in, the receptacle ruptures at a weak section between the corrugated side wall and the bottom wall before the bottom wall makes contact with an article within the receptacle.

United States Patent Segel et al. 1 1 Sept. 26, 1972 [54] METHOD OF MAKING 3,217,462 11/1965 Watts,Jr. ..53/30 TAMPERPROOF PACKAGE 3,402,873 9/1968 Lauterbach, Jr ..53/30 ux [72] Invemms' Jseph sege" Memn' 3,478,870 11/1969 Segel ..229/92.9x

Okell, Broomall, both of Pa.

[73] Assignee: The Franklin Mint, Corporation, Primary Examiner-Travis S. McGehee Yeadon, Pa. Assistant Examiner-Eugene F. Desmond Attorney-Seidel, Gonda & Goldhammer [22] F1led: June 30, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 60,193 [57] ABSTRACT A tamperproof and easy-open package of polymeric Related Application Data plastic materials is disclosed wherein a base sheet is [62] Division of Ser. No. 798,715, Feb. 12, 1969, provided with specially designed receptacles integral Pat. No. 3,615,005. therewith and defined by corrugated side walls with a sharp top edge and a bottom wall, A top sheet overlies [52] U5. Cl ..53/30 the p d of the p a l and is welded to a 51 1111. c1. ..'...B65b 47/10 Peripheral flange Portion of the base sheet with the [58] Field of Search ..53/30, 212, 184, 14, 133; Welds citcumscribing the receptacles when 229/929 downward pressure is applied on the top of the receptacle, the bottom wall is pushed in, the receptacle ruptures at a weak section between the corrugated side [56] References Cited wall and the bottom wall before the bottom wall UNITED STATES PATENTS makes contact with an article within the receptacle.

3,5 77,700 5/1971 Bippus et al. ..53/30 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures fi 1 1 I l I I 1 I 6 11111111111111 3? 4 u L l /5 1 25 /8 L 2a 22 20 i 2 2 METHOD OF MAKING TAMPERPROOF PACKAGE This application is a division of copending application Ser. No. 798,715 filed on Feb. 12, 1969 and entitled Tamperproof Package and Method of Making Same now US. Pat. No. 3,615,005.

This invention relates to a tamperproof and easyopen package and a method of making the same. The package is designed so as to contain an article the specific identity of which is to remain anonymous. Any attempt to tamper with the package to ascertain the specific identity of the article will be readily ascertainable due to the construction of the receptacle within which the article is placed.

One specific use of the package of the present invention is in connection with promotional games. In connection with such games, it is essential that distributors, dealers, recipients, and the like be unable to ascertain the identity of the contents of the various packages which are given away as part of the promotional game. The package of the present invention is designed so as to prevent the packages from being tampered with in a manner other than that which will be readily ascertainable. Thus, the package of the present invention will rupture before any tampering with the package can be successful in ascertaining the identity of the contents of the package. Also, normal access to the article is easily attained by rupturing the receptacle.

In providing the tamperproof package, it is necessary to take into consideration that the denomination of articles within the receptacle should not be ascertainable by subjecting the receptacle to strong light, the receptacle should not be capable of being sealed and unsealed in a manner which does not destroy the receptacle, and the walls of the receptacle adjacent the sides of the article should not come in contact with the same so as to permit someone to trace the contour of the side of the article through the adjacent walls of the receptacle.

The package of the present invention accomplishes all of thesev objectives so that any tampering with the receptacle is immediately noticeable.

ln accordance-with the present invention, the receptacle is provided with a corrugated side wall substantially higher than the thickness of the article. The corrugated side wall is joined to a bottom wall by means of a weak section. The corrugated side wall resists inward pressure applied to the bottom wall to a sufficient extent so as to rupture the section therebetween before the bottom wall may contact the article.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel tamperproof package. I It is another object of the present invention to provide a package containing an article whose identity is to remain unknown and wherein any tampering with the package to ascertain the identity of the article will cause a rupture of the package.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel method for packaging articles such as FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view through a plurality of packages before they are separated into individual units.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a package in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a receptacle in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 a plurality of packages in accordance with the present invention designated generally as 10.

In practicing the present invention, the first step-is to take a base sheet 12 and deform the same so as to provide a plurality of spaced receptacles l4 and 16 in the base sheet, but integral therewith. One suitable way of forming the receptacles l4 and 16 is to vacuum form the base sheet 12. During such vacuum forming step, a greater number of receptacles than that shown in FIG. 1 will be provided. Since each of the receptacles l4 and 16 are identical, only receptacle 14 will be described in detail.

The receptacle 14 includes a corrugated side wall 18 which may be slightly tapered in a direction away from the base sheet 12 by an angle of approximately 3 to 5. For purposes of illustration, the base sheet 12 may have a thickness of approximately 0.016 inches while the wall 18 has a thickness of approximately 0.008 inches.

A bottom wall 20 which is circular in periphery is joined to the side wall 18 by a V-shaped weak portion 26. Portion 26 is defined by a ridge 28 on its lower surface. Bottom wall 20 may be provided with a plurality of projections 22 which rigidify the bottom wall 20 and prevent the full surface of bottom wall 20 from contacting an article disposed within the chamber 24. Bottom wall 20. has a thickness which is approximately the same as sheet 12. The ridge 28 is a built-in stress raiser and defines the area at which the receptacle 14 will rupture when the bottom wall 20 is pushed inwardly. The corrugations of side wall 18 give strength to the side wall and hinder collapsing of the same as the bottom wall 20 is pushed in.

The second step of the method of the present invention is to introduce articles into the chamber 24 of each receptacle. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the article is a coin 32. It will be noted that the height of wall 18 is substantially greater than the thickness of the coin 32. FIG. 1 is not drawn to scale; however, the relative height of wall 18 and thickness of coin 32 are substantially accurate as illustrated. The height of wall 18 must be such that compression of wall 20 toward coin 32 will result in rupture of the receptacle before wall 20 contacts the coin 32. The slight taper of wall 18 also results in locating the coin 32 intermediate the height of the chamber 24. Projections 22 will contact coin 32 before the full surface of wall 20 may contact coin 32.

The next step in the process of the present invention is to place a top sheet 34 so that it overlies each of the receptacles. Top sheet 34 has a thickness which is substantially the same as the thickness of base sheet 12. The sheets 12 and 34 are preferably of the same material or similar materials capable of being welded. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sheets 12 and 34 are of styrene-based plastic whose composition has been chosen so as to render the polymeric plastic material brittle at high stress zones while remaining generally flexible in other zones. The

selection of appropriate plastics for this purpose is within the ability of those skilled, in the-art. Each of the sheets 12 and 34 are opaque. f i g The next step in the process of the present invention is to provide welds 30 which circumscribethe receptacles. Thereafter, the receptacles are separated from the sheets 12 and 34 by a cutting operation resulting in a peripheral flange on the receptacle welded to the adjacent surface of the top sheet 34.

The top sheet 34 may be preprinted with indicia 36 before the welding step or after the welding step. The indicia may take a wide variety of forms and performs the function of obscuring the contour of the juxtaposed surface of coin 32 when the top sheet 34 is subjected to a strong light. The projections 22 also perform the function of obscuring the juxtaposed surface of coin 32 when the bottom wall is subjected to a strong light.

The package of the present invention is illustratedin FIG. 3. While the peripheral edge 33 is circular as shown, it could be square, hexagonal, octagonal, etc. Any attempt to cause the bottom wall 20 to contact the coin 32 will rupture the receptacle in the area of the ridge 28. The projections 22 and indicia 36 prevent ascertaining the surface contour of coin 32 by subjecting the package to strong light. The weld 30 cannot be separated without destroying the receptacle. Hence, the package cannot be opened and then rescaled. Any attempt to tamper with the package will be immediately ascertainable.

In FIG. 4, there is partially illustrated a receptacle in accordance with another invention wherein the bottom wall 20 is provided with a downwardly extending peripheral flange portion 26' joined directly to the lower peripheral edge of wall 18'. When bottom wall 20', is pushed inwardly, the receptacle will rupture at the portion 26. Otherwise, the embodiment in FIG. 4 is identical with that described above.

Normal access to the article in the receptacle is attained by pushing on walls 20 and 20' until the receptacle ruptures. While the article has been referred to as a coin, it will be appreciated that other items such as charms, stamps, unit doses of medicines, unit doses of ingredients to be added to a mixture, etc. may be packagedin accordance with the present invention.

The side wall 18 may be provided with a flexible annular portion about which the'receptacles may collapse in such a manner so as to facilitate the desired rupture of ;the receptacle. Such flexible portion should be nearer the. bottom wall 20 th'anthe base sheet 12 so as to induce tensile stresses in the weak section.

Portions 26 and 26' are illustrative of stress raising portions, which may include any sharp change in thickness or direction.

The present invention maybe embodiedin other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.

It is claimed:

l. A method of making a tamperproof package comprising the steps of forming a base sheet of polymeric plastic material to.provide spaced integral receptacles in a manner so that each receptacle has a side wall and a bottom wall joined thereto by a brittle high stress zone susceptible to rupture when the ottom' wall is pushed in and so that the rupture occurs efore the side wall collapses, inserting at least one article into each receptacle, placing a top sheet over the open end of each receptacle, using a top sheet of a polymeric plastic material similar to the material of said base sheet, welding the sheets so as to provide a weld circumscribing each receptacle, cutting the sheets immediately adjacent the outer periphery of the welds so as to separate the sealed receptacles from the sheets, and providing indicia on said top sheet.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of forming the base sheet with side walls includes providing corrugated side walls.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said step of forming the receptacles with bottom walls includes providing bottom walls having integral projections on their inner surfaces.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of inserting an article into each receptacle includes inserting a coin having a thickness substantially less than the height of said side walls into each receptacle.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said polymer plastic material for the receptacles and for the top sheet is opaque.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of forming the receptacles with a bottom wall includes providing the high stress zone with a V-shaped cross section. i

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. (3 693 315 Dated September 26 L 1972 Inventor(s) Joseph M. Segel and Roy E. Okell It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover page, line [73], the assignee should be changed from "The Franklin Mint, Corporation" to read Franklin Mint Corporation Signed and sealed this 20th day of February 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

ROBERT GOTTSCHALK EDWARD M. FLETCHER,JR.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer USCOMM-DC 6O376-P69 & u 5 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 o-366-334 FORM F-O-IOSO (10-69) 

1. A method of making a tamperproof package comprising the steps of forming a base sheet of polymeric plastic material to provide spaced integral receptacles in a manner so that each receptacle has a side wall and a bottom wall joined thereto by a brittle high stress zone susceptible to rupture when the bottom wall is pushed in and so that the rupture occurs before the side wall collapses, inserting at least one article into each receptacle, placing a top sheet over the open end of each receptacle, using a top sheet of a polymeric plastic material similar to the material of said base sheet, welding the sheets so as to provide a weld circumscribing each receptacle, cutting the sheets immediately adjacent the outer periphery of the welds so as to separate the sealed receptacles from the sheets, and providing indicia on said top sheet.
 2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of forming the base sheet with side walls includes providing corrugated side walls.
 3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said step of forming the receptacles with bottom walls includes providing bottom walls having integral projections on their inner surfaces.
 4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of inserting an article into each receptacle includes inserting a coin having a thickness substantially less than the height of said side walls into each receptacle.
 5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said polymer plastic material for the receptacles and for the top sheet is opaque.
 6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said step of forming the receptacles with a bottom wall includes providing the high stress zone with a V-shaped cross section. 